PITTSBURGH – At what was one point their strong suit in a possible playoff push, the Pittsburgh Penguins are seeing their goaltending become a hot commodity on the trade market. The NHL’s trade deadline is days away, and numerous Penguins skaters have gained a ton of interest.
Outside of the skaters, however, so too have their netminders. All three of Tristan Jarry, Alex Nedeljkovic, and prospect Joel Blomqvist have been rumored to be asked about. According to Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, only one of these names is likely to move.
Friedman believes Nedeljkovic is the most likely to be moved before the deadline. When asked if the Penguins are ready to do something with their goalies, Friedman said it’s expected.
“I do. I think there’s some interest in Nedeljkovic, especially,” Friedman said. “I think it’s less likely to be Jarry, but I’ve heard there’s been some interest in Nedeljkovic. It would not surprise me at all if he was traded.”
For weeks now, it’s been believed that goalies will drive the trade market this year. As deadline week is upon us, no goalies have been moved, but plenty of discussion has been had around multiple names.
Nedeljkovic makes the most sense to be moved out of Pittsburgh and find his way to a playoff team. He’s on a one-year deal and has played more like his All-Rookie team self. There were points of the year when it looked like he could take over as the Penguins’ starter.
In 20 games played, Nedeljkovic has a 9-5-4 record with a .910 save percentage and 2.85 goals against average.
Jarry, meanwhile, is just starting a five-year contract worth over $5 million against the salary cap annually. That's a tough deal to move, but the Penguins have also been impressed with his bounce-back season.
Blomqvist’s name popped up from Friedman once, but that’s a doubtful move, as he may be the Penguins’ goalie of the future.
The Penguins are likely shipping out at least one goalie before the deadline and Nedeljkovic is emerging as the headline name.
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